Chapter 3

The Emperor Wears No=20
Clothes

By Jack Herer

February 1938 =E2=80=93 =
Popular Mechanics=20
Magazine:

=E2=80=9CNEW BILLION-DOLLAR =
CROP=E2=80=9D

February 1938 =E2=80=93 =
Mechanical Engineering=20
Magazine:

=E2=80=9CTHE MOST PROFITABLE =
& DESIRABLE=20
CROP

THAT CAN BE =
GROWN=E2=80=9D

Modern technology was about to be applied to hemp production, making =
it the=20
number-one agricultural resource in America. Two of the most respected =
and=20
influential journals in the nation, Popular Mechanics and Mechanical=20
Engineering, forecast a bright future for American hemp. Thousands of =
new=20
products creating millions of new jobs would herald the end of the Great =
Depression. Instead hemp was persecuted, outlawed and forgotten at the =
bidding=20
of W. R. Hearst, who branded hemp the =E2=80=9CMexican killer weed, =
marihuana.=E2=80=9D

As early as 1901 and continuing to 1937, the U.S. Department of =
Agriculture=20
repeatedly predicted that, once machinery capable of harvesting, As you =
will see=20
in these articles, the newly mechanized stripping and separating the =
fiber from=20
the pulp was cannabis hemp industry was in its infancy, but well on =
invented or=20
engineered, hemp would again be America=E2=80=99s number-one farm crop. =
The introduction=20
of G. W. decorticator in 1917 nearly fulfilled this prophesy.

The prediction was reaffirmed in the popular press when Popular =
Mechanics=20
published its February 1938 article =E2=80=9CBillion-Dollar =
Crop.=E2=80=9D The first=20
reproduction of this article in over 50 years was in the original =
edition of=20
this book. The article is reproduced here exactly as it was printed in =
1938.

Because of the printing schedule and deadline, Popular Mechanics =
prepared=20
this article in spring of 1937 when cannabis hemp for fiber, paper, =
dynamite and=20
oil, was still legal to grow and was, in fact, an incredibly =
fast-growing=20
industry.

Also reprinted in this chapter is an excerpt from the Mechanical =
Engineering=20
article about hemp, published the same month. It originated as a paper =
presented=20
a year earlier at the Feb. 26, 1937 Agricultural Processing Meeting of =
the=20
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Reports from the USDA during the 1930s, and Congressional testimony =
in 1937,=20
showed that cultivated hemp acreage had been doubling in size in America =
almost=20
every year from the time it hit its bottom acreage, 1930-when 1,000 =
acres were=20
planted in the U.S. =E2=80=93 to 1937 =E2=80=93 when 14,000 acres were =
cultivated with plans to=20
continue to double that acreage annually in the foreseeable future.

As you will see in these articles, the newly mechanized cannabis hemp =
industry was in its infancy, but well on its way to making cannabis =
America=E2=80=99s=20
largest agricultural crop. And in light of subsequent developments (e.g. =
biomass=20
energy technology, building materials, etc.), we now know that hemp is =
the=20
world=E2=80=99s most important ecological resource and therefore, =
potentially our=20
planet=E2=80=99s single largest industry.

The Popular Mechanics article was the very first time in American =
history=20
that the term =E2=80=9Cbillion-dollar=E2=80=9D was ever applied to any =
U.S. agricultural crop!=20
That is equivalent to $40-$80 billion now.

Experts today conservatively estimate that, once fully restored in =
America,=20
hemp industries will generate $500 billion to a trillion dollars per =
year, and=20
will save the planet and civilization from fossil fuels and their =
derivatives =E2=80=93=20
and from deforestation!

If Harry Anslinger, DuPont, Hearst and their paid-for (know it or =
not, then=20
as now) politicians had not outlawed hemp =E2=80=93 under the pretext of =
marijuana (see=20
Chapter 4, =E2=80=9CLast Days of Legal Cannabis=E2=80=9D) =E2=80=93 and =
suppressed hemp knowledge from=20
our schools, researchers and even scientists, the glowing predictions in =
these=20
articles would already have come true by now =E2=80=93 and more benefits =
than anyone=20
could then envision =E2=80=93 as new technologies and uses continue to =
develop.

As one colleague so aptly put it, =E2=80=9CThese articles were the =
last honest word=20
spoken on hemp=E2=80=99s behalf for over 40 years=E2=80=A6=E2=80=9D

New Billion-Dollar Crop =

Popular Mechanics, February=20
1938

American farmers are promised new cash crop with an annual value of =
several=20
hundred million dollars, all because a machine has been invented which =
solves a=20
problem more than 6,000 years old. It is hemp, a crop that will not =
compete with=20
other American products. Instead, it will displace imports of raw =
material and=20
manufactured products produced by underpaid coolie and peasant labor and =
it will=20
provide thousands of jobs for American workers throughout the land. The =
machine=20
which makes this possible is designed for removing the fiber-bearing =
cortex from=20
the rest of the stalk, making hemp fiber available for use without a =
prohibitive=20
amount of human labor. Hemp is the standard fiber of the world. It has =
great=20
tensile strength and durability. It is used to produce more than 5,000 =
textile=20
products, ranging from rope to fine laces, and the woody =
=E2=80=9Churds=E2=80=9D remaining after=20
the fiber has been removed contains more than seventy-seven per cent =
cellulose,=20
and can be used to produce more than 25,000 produces, ranging from =
dynamite to=20
Cellophane.

Machines now in service in Texas, Illinois, Minnesota and other =
states are=20
producing fiber at a manufacturing cost of half a cent a pound, and are =
finding=20
a profitable market for the rest of the stalk. Machine operators are =
making a=20
good profit in competition with coolie-produced foreign fiber while =
paying=20
farmers fifteen dollars a ton for hemp as it comes from the field.

From the farmers=E2=80=99 point of view, hemp is an easy crop to grow =
and will yield=20
from three to six tons per acre on any land that will grow corn, wheat, =
or oats.=20
It has a short growing season, so that it can be planted after other =
crops are=20
in. It can be grown in any state of the union. The long roots penetrate =
and=20
break the soil to leave it in perfect condition for the next =
year=E2=80=99s crop. The=20
dense shock of leaves, eight to twelve feet about the ground, chokes out =
weeds.=20
Two successive crops are enough to reclaim land that has been abandoned =
because=20
of Canadian thistles or quack grass.

Under old methods, hemp was cut and allowed to lie in the fields for =
weeks=20
until it =E2=80=9Cretted=E2=80=9D enough so the fibers could be pulled =
off by hand. Retting is=20
simply rotting as a result of dew, rain and bacterial action. Machines =
were=20
developed to separate the fibers mechanically after retting was =
complete, but=20
the cost was high, the loss of fiber great, and the quality of fiber=20
comparatively low. With the new machine, known as a decorticator, hemp =
is cut=20
with a slightly modified grain binder. It is delivered to the machine =
where an=20
automatic chain conveyer feeds it to the breaking arms at the rate of =
two or=20
three tons per hour. The hurds are broken into fine pieces which drop =
into the=20
hopper, from where they are delivered by blower to a baler or to truck =
or=20
freight car for loose shipment. The fiber comes from the other end of =
the=20
machine, ready for baling.

From this point on almost anything can happen. The raw fiber can be =
used to=20
produce strong twine or rope, woven into burlap, used for carpet warp or =
linoleum backing or it may be bleached and refined, with resinous =
by-products of=20
high commercial value. It can, in fact, be used to replace the foreign =
fibers=20
which now flood our markets.

Thousands of tons of hemp hurds are used every year by one large =
powder=20
company for the manufacturer of dynamite and TNT. A large paper company, =
which=20
has been paying more than a million dollars a year in duties on =
foreign-made=20
cigarette papers, now is manufacturing these papers from American hemp =
grown in=20
Minnesota. A new factory in Illinois is producing fine bond papers from =
hemp.=20
The natural materials in hemp make it an economical source of pulp for =
any grade=20
of paper manufactured, and the high percentage of alpha cellulose =
promises an=20
unlimited supply of raw material for the thousands of cellulose products =
our=20
chemists have developed.

It is generally believed that all linen is produced from flax. =
Actually, the=20
majority comes from hemp =E2=80=93 authorities estimate that more than =
half of our=20
imported linen fabrics are manufactured from hemp fiber. Another =
misconception=20
is that burlap is made from hemp. Actually, its source is usually jute, =
and=20
practically all of the burlap we use is woven by laborers in India who =
receive=20
only four cents a day. Binder twine is usually made from sisal which =
comes from=20
Yucatan and East Africa.

All of these products, now imported, can be produced from home-grown =
hemp.=20
Fish nets, bow strings, canvas, strong rope, overalls, damask =
tablecloths, fine=20
linen garments, towels, bed linen and thousands of other everyday items =
can be=20
grown on American farms. Our imports of foreign fabrics and fibers =
average about=20
$200,000,000 per year; in raw fibers alone we imported over $50,000,000 =
in the=20
first six months of 1937. All of this income can be made available for=20
Americans.

The paper industry offers even greater possibilities. As an industry =
it=20
amounts to over $1,000,000,000 a year, and of that eighty per cent is =
imported.=20
But hemp will produce every grade of paper, and government figures =
estimate that=20
10,000 acres devoted to hemp will produce as much paper as 40,000 acres =
of=20
average pulp land.

One obstacle in the onward march of hemp is the reluctance of farmers =
to try=20
new crops. The problem is complicated by the need for proper equipment a =
reasonable distance from the farm. The machine cannot be operated =
profitably=20
unless there is enough acreage within driving range and farmers cannot =
find a=20
profitable market unless there is machinery to handle the crop. Another =
obstacle=20
is that the blossom of the female hemp plant contains marijuana, a =
narcotic, and=20
it is impossible to grow hemp without producing the blossom. Federal =
regulations=20
now being drawn up require registration of hemp growers, and tentative =
proposals=20
for preventing narcotic production are rather stringent.However, the =
connection of hemp as a crop and marijuana seems to be exaggerated. The =
drug is=20
usually produced from wild hemp or locoweed which can be found on vacant =
lots=20
and along railroad tracks in every state. If federal regulations can be =
drawn to=20
protect the public without preventing the legitimate culture of hemp, =
this new=20
crop can add immeasurably to American agriculture and industry.

The Most Profitable and =
Desirable Crop=20
that Can be Grown

Mechanical Engineering, =
February 26,=20
1937

=E2=80=9CFlax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom=E2=80=9D was =
published in the February 1938=20
issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine. It was originally presented at =
the=20
Agricultural Processing Meeting of the American Society of Mechanical =
Engineers=20
in New Brunswick, NY of February 26, 1937 by the Process Industries=20
Division.

Flax and Hemp: From the Seed =
to the=20
Loom

By George A. Lower

This country imports practically all of its fibers except cotton. The =
Whitney=20
gin, combined with improved spinning methods, enabled this country to =
produce=20
cotton goods so far below the cost of linen that linen manufacture =
practically=20
ceased in the United States. We cannot produce our fibers at less cost =
than can=20
other farmers of the world. Aside from the higher cost of labor, we do =
not get=20
as large production. For instance, Yugoslavia, which has the greatest =
fiber=20
production per are in Europe, recently had a yield of 883 lbs. =
Comparable=20
figures for other countries are Argentina, 749 lbs.; Egypt 616 lbs.; and =
India,=20
393 lbs.; while the average yield in this country is 383 lbs.

To meet world competition profitably, we must improve our methods all =
the way=20
from the field to the loom.

Flax is still pulled up by the roots, retted in a pond, dried in the =
sun,=20
broken until the fibers separate from the wood, then spun, and finally =
bleached=20
with lye from wood ashes, potash from burned seaweed, or lime. =
Improvements in=20
tilling, planting, and harvesting mechanisms have materially helped the =
large=20
farmers and, to a certain degree, the smaller ones, but the processes =
from the=20
crop to the yarn are crude, wasteful and land injurious. Hemp, the =
strongest of=20
the vegetable fibers, gives the greatest production per acre and =
requires the=20
least attention. It not only requires no weeding, but also kills off all =
the=20
weeds and leaves the soil in splendid condition for the following crop. =
This,=20
irrespective of its own monetary value, makes it a desirable crop to =
grow.In=20
climate and cultivation, its requisites are similar to flax and like =
flax,=20
should be harvested before it is too ripe. The best time is when the =
lower=20
leaves on the stalk wither and the flowers shed their pollen.

Like flax, the fibers run out where leaf stems are on the stalks and =
are made=20
up of laminated fibers that are held together by pectose gums. When =
chemically=20
treated like flax, hemp yields a beautiful fiber so closely resembling =
flax that=20
a high-power microscope is needed to tell the difference =E2=80=93 and =
only then because=20
in hemp, some of the ends are split. Wetting a few strands of fiber and =
holding=20
them suspended will definitely identify the two because, upon drying, =
flax will=20
be found to turn to the right or clockwise, and hemp to the left or=20
counterclockwise.

Before [World War I], Russia produced 400,000 tons of hemp, all of =
which is=20
still hand-broken and hand-scutched. They now produce half that quantity =
and use=20
most of it themselves, as also does Italy from whom we had large=20
importations.

In this country, hemp, when planted one bu. per acre, yields about =
three tons=20
of dry straw per acre. From 15 to 20 percent of this is fiber, and 80 to =
85=20
percent is woody material. The rapidly growing market for cellulose and =
wood=20
flower for plastics gives good reason to believe that this hitherto =
wasted=20
material may prove sufficiently profitable to pay for the crop, leaving =
the cost=20
of the fiber sufficiently low to compete with 500,000 tons of hard fiber =
now=20
imported annually.

Hemp being from two to three times as strong as any of the hard =
fibers, much=20
less weight is required to give the same yardage. For instance, sisal =
binder=20
twine of 40-lb. tensile strength runs 450 ft. to the lb. A better twine =
made of=20
hemp would run 1280 ft. to the lb. Hemp is not subject to as many kinds =
of=20
deterioration as are the tropical fibers, and none of them lasts as long =
in=20
either fresh or salt water.

While the theory in the past has been that straw should be cut when =
the=20
pollen starts to fly, some of the best fiber handled by Minnesota hemp =
people=20
was heavy with seed. This point should be proved as soon as possible by =
planting=20
a few acres and then harvesting the first quarter when the pollen is =
flying, the=20
second and third a week or 10 days apart, and the last when the seed is =
fully=20
matured. These four lots should be kept separate and scutched and =
processed=20
separately to detect any difference in the quality and quantity of the =
fiber and=20
seed.

Several types of machines are available in this country for =
harvesting hemp.=20
One of these was brought out several years ago by the International =
Harvester=20
Company. Recently, growers of hemp in the Middle West have rebuilt =
regular grain=20
binders for this work. This rebuilding is not particularly expensive and =
the=20
machines are reported to give satisfactory service.

Degumming of hemp is analogous to the treatment given flax. The =
shards=20
probably offer slightly more resistance to digestion. On the other hand, =
they=20
break down readily upon completion of the digestion process. And =
excellent fiber=20
can, therefore, be obtained from hemp also. Hemp, when treated by a =
known=20
chemical process, can be spun on cotton, wool, and worsted machinery, =
and has as=20
much absorbency and wearing quality as linen.

Several types of machines for scutching the hemp stalks are also on =
the=20
market. Scutch mills formerly operating in Illinois and Wisconsin used =
the=20
system that consisted of a set of eight pairs of fluted rollers, through =
which=20
the dried straw was passed to break up the woody portion. From there, =
the fiber=20
with adhering shards =E2=80=93 or hurds, as they are called =E2=80=93 =
was transferred by an=20
operator to an endless chain conveyer. This carries the fiber past two =
revolving=20
single drums in tandem, all having beating blades on their periphery, =
which beat=20
off most of the hurds as well as the fibers that do not run the full =
length of=20
the stalks. The proportion of line fiber to tow is 50% each. Tow or =
short=20
tangled fibers then go to a vibrating cleaner that shakes out some of =
the hurds.=20
In Minnesota and Illinois, another type has been tried out. This machine =
consists of a feeding table upon which the stalks are placed =
horizontally.=20
Conveyor chains carry the stalks along until they are grasped by a =
clamping=20
chain that grips them and carries them through half of the machine.

A pair of intermeshing lawnmower-type beaters are placed at a =
45-degree angle=20
to the feeding chain and break the hemp stalks over the sharp edge of a =
steel=20
plate, the object being to break the woody portion of the straw and whip =
the=20
hurds from the fiber. On the other side and slightly beyond the first =
set of=20
lawnmower beaters is another set, which is placed 90-degrees from the =
first pair=20
and whips out the hurds.

The first clamping chain transfers the stalks to another to scutch =
the fiber=20
that was under the clamp at the beginning. Unfortunately, this type of =
scutcher=20
makes even more tow than the so-called Wisconsin type. This tow is =
difficult to=20
re-clean because the hurds are broken into long slivers that tenaciously =
adhere=20
to the fiber.

Another type passes the stalks through a series of graduated fluted =
rollers.=20
This breaks up the woody portion into hurds about 3/4 inch long, and the =
fiber=20
then passes on through a series of reciprocating slotted plates working =
between=20
stationary slotted plates.

Adhering hurds are removed from the fiber which continues on a =
conveyer to=20
the baling press. Because no beating of the fiber against the grain =
occurs, this=20
type of scutcher make only line fiber. This is then processed by the =
same=20
methods as those for flax.

Paint and lacquer manufacturers are interested in hempseed oil which =
is a=20
good drying agent. When markets have been developed for the products now =
being=20
wasted, seed and hurds, hemp will prove, both for the farmer and the =
public, the=20
most profitable and desirable crop that can be grown, and one that can =
make=20
American mills independent of importations.

Recent floods and dust storms have given warnings against the =
destruction of=20
timber. Possibly, the hitherto waste products of flax and hemp may yet =
meet a=20
good part of that need, especially in the plastic field which is growing =
by=20
leaps and bounds.